So, like, the trucking industry is in deep trouble, dude. Industry peeps are like, “oh shucks, worst is yet to come” as tariffs start messing with imports. Trucking volumes are dropping big time, with Craig Fuller from FreightWaves saying it’s almost like pre-pandemic levels. He’s all, “Imports are tanking, expect volumes to fall another 3-4% next month.” Fuller’s quotes, like, totally come from this data platform Sonar he founded.
The article says container volumes are down 20% at the Port of Los Angeles compared to last year. Freight trucks hauling stuff out of LA are heading back to 2020 levels, which is a bummer. The U.S. economy is taking major hits from Trump’s trade war, with the IMF lowering forecasts for global GDP growth to 2.8% and U.S. growth to 1.8%. They blame “epistemic uncertainty and policy unpredictability” from the White House.
Trucks are like the VIPs of freight, carrying all sorts of goods across the country. Experts are super unsure about freight volumes for 2025. Some are still hopeful, saying companies have more profit margins to deal with tariffs than in the past. The pessimism is real, especially since experts were thinking trucking volumes would go up this year. But things have taken a turn for the worse, including consumer outlooks, industry warnings, and Wall Street’s rollercoaster ride.
Small business owners are trying to stock up on inventory before tariffs make everything pricier. Analysts predict a jump in shipping volumes in the second quarter, followed by a freight recession due to higher prices and lower consumer spending. Imports and exports are all over the place, with the Cass Freight Index pointing towards another drop in 2025.
Mack Trucks laid off a bunch of workers in Pennsylvania because of economic uncertainty, sparking criticism from the governor. Fuller, from FreightWaves, thinks the economy has COVID and the only cure is easing up on tariffs. Sounds like a real mess out there.
